Pages

Friday, April 26, 2013

Just wanted to let everyone know I'm on a medical break. I guess I stress too much in my real life and I've given myself Gastritis. So I've been spending the week on the sofa and enjoying clear liquids while my stomach gets on the med.
By the way clear liquids don't include coffee =(
So I've had the killer caffeine withdrawal headaches too. I can't wait to have a large vanilla latte. Hopefully Monday I'll be back to normal or at least closer.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

When Nikki works the January meet at Gulfstream Park near Miami, something about new racehorse owner, Currito Maldonista, worries her. Bad enough she’s expected to handle the evil-minded colt that reflects his owner’s personality, but Nikki suspects the Colombian is a drug lord, selling his product to the US. Even worse, could he be abducting underage American girls into a network of overseas sex trafficking?

Friend Carla Ruben contacts Nikki, desperate to find the teenage daughter she gave up for adoption. The adoptive parents have died unexpectedly, and the exotically beautiful girl was last seen in Miami. Nikki’s ominous association with Maldonista will lead her down a dark road where she must search for Carla’s daughter.

Review

I received The Sea Horse Trade in return for an honest review from the publisher. Nikki is back for another adventure only this time she’s down in Florida during the winter. Will Marshall the jockey from prior books who has a thing for Nikki is also in town. On the first day in town Nikki witnesses a murder of a young girl on the streets which send her into a world filled with drugs and sex trade. She also has three new horses in the barn owned by a Cuban man who has a nasty scar, one being a high strung black colt the others two filly’s. When Nikki has the chance to race colt she’s thrilled at the chance the pair even when but before they can celebrate the horse tests positive for cocaine having Jim thrown off the track. Nikki has to deal with the horses, while he returns to Maryland until his name can be cleared from doping the horse.

As if Nikki doesn't have enough with Jim gone and the three new horses her friend Carla is on a mission to find the daughter she put up for adoption fifteen years earlier. While her private detective found the family in Florida before Carla can meet them the parents are murdered and her daughter is taken. Nikki also decides to give Will a chance. Carla and Nikki set out to find her daughter before it’s too late with the help of Mello’s cousin.

The Sea Horse Trade is another success in the Nikki Latrelle series. The story captivates you right from the start keeping you hooked till the very end. I love Nikki she’s just one of those characters who steals your heart. The story if filled with mystery, horse racing, adventure, and a little romance. I love how the author creates a complex story that mixes mystery with horses which have been a love of mine since I was a kid. The Sea Horse Trade is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing till the very end. I look forward to reading more books in the Nikki Latrelle series.

Racing at Virginia’s beautiful Colonial Downs twists into a nightmare for jockey Nikki Latrelle. A sociopath sells diet cocktails – killing jockeys who struggle to make racing weight. Alarming events greet Nikki and exercise rider Lorna upon their arrival at Colonial – strange noises echo in the nighttime woods, a man with haunted eyes drags a dirt-smeared shovel from the forest, and the body of a burn victim lies on the road outside the track. Nikki’s unease turns to dismay when bad-boy Bobby Duvayne mesmerizes young Lorna with his raw sexuality and a dangerous supply of drugs. A hidden meth lab, an old family secret, a body buried years ago in the woods, and Lorna’s disappearance pull Nikki into a race against death.

Early praise for Racing From Death:

“When Nikki Latrelle swings into the saddle and takes the reins, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride. Hill takes us into the stables; she lets us smell the sweet clover and timothy and yes, the sweat and manure, too; and she sets our hearts pounding as Nikki races to find a killer. This is a major new talent and the comparisons to Dick Francis are not hyperbole.” --Margaret Maron, New York Times Best selling author and winner of the Edgar, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards.

“RACING FROM DEATH is only the second in the Nikki Latrelle series, and already I consider intrepid jockey Nikki, her redheaded sidekick Lorna, and her loco horse Hellish old, favorite friends. Great characters, great action, and as for the setting, Hill could be the next Dick Francis. It's that authentic.” – Julie Smith, winner of Edgar Best Novel Award and best selling author.

ReviewI received Racing from Death in return for an honest review from the publisher. Racing for Death is the second book in the Nikki Latrelle series my new favorite sleuth. This time Nikki is being sent by her boss Jim to Virginia for some upcoming races. She’s taking Hellish her filly in hopes of putting her in a race and seeing what she can do. With the help of Lorna her friend to help exercise the horse things should be easy for them. However the first night at the track they encounter a tall stranger coming out of the forest with a shovel.

The girls meet Bobby the son of a rich barn owner who Loran is instantly smitten with but there is something about him Nikki doesn’t trust. When the pair learns that the cottage they are renting used to be the home of two teenage boys that had been murdered a year before and Bobby might have been involved. As if Nikki doesn't have enough to worry about with Lorna’s new boyfriend as well as the six horses already two more show up belonging to a rich woman who does things her own way. Will Nikki find out what happened to the boys? Will she find out why jockeys are dying?

Another fantastic book in the Nikki Latrelle series. Nikki isn't your typical sleuth she’s not a detective or cop she’s just a jockey trying to make it in a man’s world. She’s joined by several charming characters each one bringing a little something to the story from Lorna to Mello the old stable hand. The story caught my attention right from the start, only letting go at the end. The books are well written creating a unique mystery while giving an interesting insight into the horserace world. Racing for Death is a captivating story that anyone with a love of horses will enjoy. The characters are engaging and the twist and turns will keep you guessing till the very end. Can’t wait for the next one.5 out of 5 stars

Jockey Nikki Latrelle gets the chance of a lifetime -- to ride the favorite in a stakes race -- only to have her dream destroyed when a mysterious intruder kills her mount the night before the race. Evil people are working at Maryland's Laurel Park race track, and when Nikki stumbles over the body of a gunshot victim, she quickly becomes the prime suspect in a murder case. Framed and facing a possible murder rap, Nikki is ruled-off the track. Even deprived of job and income, she cannot abandon a mistreated, ill-tempered racehorse doomed to the slaughter house. Nikki and the filly wind up at a seedy stable with a motley group of felons, drunks, and drug-addicts. With unexpected help from a fashion-conscious wholesale meat-seller, a recovering addict, and an ancient groom, Nicky follows a crooked trail of insurance scam and betting fraud. But with the odds against her, can she clear her name -- and put the real criminals behind bars?

Review

I received Full Mortality in return for an honest review from the publisher. Nikki Latrelle has been working with race horses since she was thirteen years old. Right after her mother passed away in a fatal accident. She’s finally getting her big chance to prove herself as a jockey when she wakes up early and decides to head to the track to check on her horse for the race. Upon arrival at the stable she see’s someone run from Gildys stall and finds her dead. When she learns that the shady trainer in the barn next door is going to sell a filly to slaughter Nikki heads off after her intent on buying her before and she does.

However fate is not on her side when she decides to check on her new horse and finds the body of a fellow jockey she’s had altercations with as well as another dead horse. The police are looking at her as a suspect next thing she knows she’s the prime suspect in a murder as well as the death of two horses. Nikki is suspended pending how the police case works out. When she arrives at a rundown track to stable her horse and look for work riding the race horses until the police can solve the case. Nikki starts piecing the case together herself as the cop continue to keep her as their prime suspect. Will Nikki solve the case or will it be too late?

I’ve always loved books with horses so of course I couldn't pass up the chance to read a jockey series. Full Mortality incorporates the life of Nikki who’s not had the easiest live but knows what she loves and is willing to do what it takes to work with horses. She’s a fun character to connect with she’s smart, and really good at getting herself in a mess but unlike some she solves her own mystery. The story has a great cast of character from her fellow jockeys, the people she works with even the new friends she makes along the way they all enhance Nikki’s adventure. Plus it has horses what else can I say. I really enjoyed the fun mystery and the insight into Nikki’s world I look forward to checking out the rest of the series.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke And The Brookish. Who doesn't love lists. They make life easy! And fun!! It's always a never ending topic.This week's topic is:

Mandy's top ten books she like more/less than she thought she wouldNightshade by Andrea Cremer - I was really excited for Nightshade because I'm all about shapeshifters but for me it was a struggle even to finish. I'm curious to start her prequal series but I'm a little nervous I won't like it either.

Dualed by Elsie Chapman - I was super excited for Dualed but I just wasn't able to get into the story so I gave up early. I may give it another shot down the road.

The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise - I'm a nerdy girl so of course I figured this one was perfect for me. I made it about twenty percent and it went in the try again later pile.

Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K Hamilton - When it all changed. I've been a huge fan since the first book came out. However as the serie progressed it turned into more smut then story. I continued to read them hoping for a change but I'm now behind a couple books and not sure if I'll ever pick it up again.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - I started the Bloodlines series first so I wasn't sure if I would love Vampire Academy but I'm thrilled to say I do enjoy the series and plan to read the rest of them.

Katana by Cole Gibsen - I was worried it would be a little cheesy but was sucked in right from the start and couldn't put it down.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Welcome to It's Monday! is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you've read the past week and are planning to read the next.

So many books to review I just can't seem to get caught up. Books I read last week:Dead Radiance T.G Ayer (Review)The Journals of Kara and Jason by Charlie Wood (Review)Full Mortality by Sasscer Hill (Goodreads) Review to comeRacing from Death by Sasscer Hill (Goodreads) Review to comeThe Seahorse Trade by Sasscer Hill (Goodreads) Review to comeCurrently Reading Sunshine by Nikki Rae (Goodreads)Up Next Echo by Alicia Wright Brewster (Goodreads)Rest of the weekFairy Godmothers INC by Jenniffer Wardell (Goodreads)Afterlife Academy by Jaimie Admans (Goodreads)What about you?

It's time to leave Earth and cross over to the other side... it's not as far away as you think!!

Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn't typing away on her laptop, she's reading books on her phone—over 600 in the last year—or attending to the needs of her family. Megan’s fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac. Daynight is Megan's first published novel, but fourth written one.

Welcome to the "Second Chances" daynight blog tour! Over the next few day/nights I am really excited to share with you:

- Over $300 of daynight-related prizes as a giant THANK YOU to the thousands ofdaynight early adopters and those who have yet to enter the twisted world of The Second Chance Institute and Thera. Want to prepare for Exile? Or an overday date with Ethan? Have breakfast for dinner? Glam it up in Garden City? There are *12* prize packages to be won! We'll introduce a new package every day of the tour so you'll have a second, third & so forth chance to win.

- The launch of clean slate complex(a daynight story)...For those who have read daynight you can learn more about what the SCI is up to on Earth (surely nothing good). For those who haven't read daynight this is a great way to get your feet wet...test the waters so to speak. I warn you though...the SCI's like Jaws Jr and the giant school of barracuda I encountered on my recent vacation--pretty from a distance, but up close they've got a lot of bite ;).

- Posters, teasers and guest posts about the themes of daynight and clean slate complex... Plus, I'm fully prepared to sneak in some nuggets about what to expect in the daynight sequel, arbitrate.

Thanks again for joining us on the tour and for your support of daynight. I'm grateful for all of you and humbled by your support.

- Megan Thomason

author of daynight

* The Tour *

Become an SCI RecruitThe Second Chance Institute (daynight's Dystopia)

Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance™. Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like Cleaving—forced lifetime union between two people who have sex. Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts? Immediate Exile or death.Meet Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and friends dead.Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in Exile and his mother’s death, Blake’s been trained to infiltrate and destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner—Miss Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan.Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan’s forced to do his SCI elite family’s bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs.

Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Worldwide non-profit and do-gooder organization. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life(TM). Reality: hidden behind every kind act is a dark agenda designed to gain control and force societal and moral extremes. Currently, the SCI’s pushing Project Liberate, a program to woo the poor and downtrodden into their Clean Slate Complexes—where “everything is provided” from jobs to food, shelter, clothing, and education. Unfortunately, as with all things that sound too good to be true, there’s a catch…

Meet Alexa Knight. Feisty, tough and currently homeless in Los Angeles, Alexa agrees to help the SCI in return for medical care for her sick mother. When she starts to suspect there’s more to the SCI than meets the eye will she believe Adam—the boy who saved her life and the SCI’s biggest champion, or Joshua—the attractive enigma who sings about conspiracy theories and pretends to be someone he’s not?

Full of action, humor, romance, twists and turns, clean slate complex is a companion story to the highly-praised dystopian novel, daynight. It can be enjoyed before or after readingdaynight.

Choose what you enter to win wisely. Your stay on Thera may be extended indefinitely.

Highlighting a different giveaway every daynight of the Tour... International Winners will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and US Winners may choose $25 GC in lieu of Prize Package.

US only. International winners will receive $25 Amazon gift certificate. US winners can opt to receive $25 Amazon gift certificate in lieu of any prize package.Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Megan Thomason. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Bryn Halbrook had always seen the glow. But it is only when her best friend dies that she discovers the meaning of those beautiful golden auras — Death. Alone, lost in the foster system, she struggles to understand who she is and why she was cursed with the ability to see the soon-to-be-dead.

The new foster kid, Aidan, isn’t helping any. Mr. Perfect seems to fit in no matter what, making her feel even more pathetic. But when his affections turn to her, Bryn finds him hard to resist. Impossible actually. A mystery himself, Aidan disappears, leaving behind a broken heart and a mysterious book that suggests Bryn might not be entirely human.

Bryn stands at the threshold of a journey of discovery. Will destiny help her find herself, find her purpose and her place in a world in which she’d never belonged?

Excerpt:

That day I knew for sure. I'd lost control of my tears then. They fell in huge, mocking drops. I stared at Joshua through those bitter tears, my heart missing beats as I tried to remember to breathe.

I finally knew what the glow meant.

I was a freak and Joshua was going to die.

Review

I received Dead Radiance in return for an honest review from
the author T.G. Ayer. Bryn has been in foster care ever since her father passed
away. She has the ability to see people glowing golden but it’s not till a
fellow student then her best friend die does she learn that the golden color
means they are destined to die. After being blamed for the death of her best
friend by the town a new boy shows up at her foster house that Bryn finds
herself drawn to. She’s not the only one a rival girl also wants Aidan’s
attention.

One night after Aiden heads out she checks out the books he’s
been studying learning that he’s translating Norse text. However it’s not till
after he suddenly disappears from foster care does Bryn find the book he left
for her as a warning. She finds the picture of an ancient Valkyrie who looks
just like her in every way. Causing her to question the research her father had
been doing before he passed away. One night not long after Aidan left that she
comes home to find him as well as another man looking for her, instead of
turning her in her foster mother Ms. Custer tells them she’s run away. However
before she can run away she’s knocked unconscious.

Bryn wakes up in Asgard learning that she is one of Odin’s Valkyries
the legendary Brynhilde. She is trained to fight, tested proving she is the
Brunhilde, and even receives her wings. It’s on her first retrieval of the
warriors she learns that Aidan has been murdered and it’s her job to bring him
to Valhalla where he will become a warrior. She also finds out the three others
from Craven that she knows will also join the warrior ranks. However before
they can even start their training Aidan is chosen by Freya to be her warrior,
and she uses it against Bryn forcing her to collect her necklace. Together
Aidan and Bryn will have a week to recover her necklace or Aidan will be lost
forever, but it won’t be easy.

Wow! I found Dead Radiance to be a captivating story it was
hard to put down. The story is beautifully written it just captures the mind. I've always been a huge fan of anything paranormal but this is my first Valkyrie and
Norse mythology story and I loved it. I love Bryn she’s just an amazing
character I found myself connecting with her and she’s so innocent yet tough. I
love how she risks it all for love, plus she doesn't need a man to fight her
battles I love tough girls. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Aidan I
wanted to like him but when he betrayed Bryn I was sure but in the end I found
him to be exactly what our tough Valkyrie needs. I honestly didn't want the
story to end I want to know what’s going to happen to Aidan and Bryn. I think
Dead Radiance is one of the best mythology stories I've read, granted I haven’t
read a lot but it’s number 1 in my book. I can’t wait to start the next book. I
highly recommend if you’re into mythology to check it out plus it’s a clean
story that teens as well as adults will enjoy. You can’t go wrong.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Stacking the Shelves is a meme by Tyngas Reviews that let's bloggers share their new books and swag, whether they are physical or virtual. I'll include books I've been sent, emailed, purchased, won and for review.

Centaur Rivalry by Nancy Straight (Goodreads) From the authorTragic by J.A. Huss (Goodreads) Upcoming TourPurchasedI picked up a zillion freebies from amazon this week it would take hours to list them.

Friday, April 19, 2013

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Words Fueled by LoveThis Week's Question:If you could hang out with any author (Living) who would it be and what would you want to do?Answer:
I'm super shy however I think it would be fun to meet Richelle Mead. I'm a huge fan of her books. Her bio makes me think we would have a great day of shopping for dresses and drinking coffee.

In Terra's world, resources are scarce and many people make their living as "scavs," hunting for scraps to turn in on Collection Day in exchange for credits. For this tour, YOU are a scav, and there are scraps all over the blogosphere for you to find! On each participating blog, there will be one of 9 possible questions. Answer the question to receive a keyword that will get you an extra entry in the awesome giveaway!

WOW!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE TERRA!!!!!Such a fantastic story I finished in one afternoon unable to put it down. Terra is a brilliant mix between Dystopia and Sci fi in my opinion the story just flows beautifully.

And while the world she creates is a made up one, I saw distinct parallels to our own world and the heartbreaking poverty that exists here as well as the developing environmental problems that clearly led to the devastation of Terra's world.

I also really liked Adam! He's got bright blue eyes, a lopsided-smile, is intelligent and caring. Though he has his imperfections too. You know that he is keeping something from Terra, but I didn't realize what it was until Terra finds out herself.

It's very rare, in my experience, to find an indie book that is as good as anything that's gone through a corporate editing process. In fact, it may very well be the Holy Grail of small press books. And yet, on her first lap out of the gate, Gretchen Powell has birthed a fantastic book, self-published. So....consider me a fan!

The writing is so good that you are transported to this other world and when something happens I constantly found myself gasping aloud, knowing that the crap was going to hit the fan, but not know why!

I guess you can kind of think of them kind of like the reorganized continents of today. When the world fell apart and the Tribunal took over, things changed.

Loading...

Giveaway:

One lucky scav will win a Terra prize pack! Get a signed copy of Terra, along with three exclusive (and gorgeous!) bookmarks, as well as a delicate silver watch--just like Terra's!--all packed up inside a scav bag of your very own! US only.

An additional five (FIVE!) winners will get a digital copy of Terra in the format of their choice. International.

Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Gretchen Powell. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

It's the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven't seen the "New Releases" shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may or not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.

You don't have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog; or if you don't have a blog at all you can use the comments to tell us about a book your remember fondly.

And NOW! We’re expanding! Throwback Thursday is no longer limited to just books! Throwback Thursday is dedicated to shining the spotlight on any book-related old favorites that need to be remembered.What’s your favorite classic television show or movie adaptation? What about your favorite song? Was your favorite toy a character from a book?

Here’s how it works:

Pick any media (or non-media item) released more than 5 years ago. Remember to keep it book-related!

Write up a short summary (include the title, author, and cover art, if applicable) and an explanation of why you love it. Make sure to link back to The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books in your post.

Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list – or some other classic

My Choice this week:The Vampire Diariesby L.J. SmithFirst published 1991(Goodreads)
(IMDB)Synopsis A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...ElenaSearching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.StefanHaunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.DamonDriven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.I remember reading the first and being unable to get my hands on the next one in the series forever. The little bookstore I used to buy books at couldn't keep them on the shelves. Now keep in mind this was the mid 90's. So of course after waiting forever to get the second one I moved on to Anita Blake however I keep saying I'll start it over. I love the T.V. show and yup I'm not current either. I'm always a season behind. I even own all the season on blu ray but I can't get my hubby to start the series yet I watch his shows. What's your throwback?

About Me

I’m a stay at home mother of two and three fur babies. I am
happily married to my best friend; he’s my rock and hero. I’m a coffee and book
obsessed blogger who loves to craft and bake in her free time.